Bulwark Takes — Inside The Blaze’s Pipe-Bomb Face-Plant

December 6, 2025
Host: Sam Stein, with guest Will Sommer

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the major media blunder by The Blaze, which falsely accused a former Capitol Police officer of being the January 6th pipe bomber. With the real suspect arrested just days earlier, hosts Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down how right-wing narratives unraveled, the probable defamation fallout for The Blaze, and implications for broader conspiracy theories around January 6.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background: The Blaze’s False Accusation

• The Event: The Blaze published a story naming a female former Capitol Police officer as the January 6 pipe bomber based on dubious “gait analysis.”
• The Mistake: The FBI just arrested Brian Cole—a man, not the accused woman.
• Media Impact: The Blaze faces not just embarrassment, but likely a significant defamation lawsuit.
• Wider Spread: The story was amplified not just by The Blaze but by members of Congress (e.g., Anna Paulina Luna, Thomas Massie) and right-wing influencers, fueling conspiracy theories.

Notable Quote:

"You can't just really... Did you go to J school, Sam?”
“I did, actually, yeah."
“Did they teach you that typically you shouldn't write articles saying someone's probably a terrorist if you don't really have evidence of that?"
— Will Sommer & Sam Stein [02:57–03:06]

2. The Faulty “Science” and Blaze’s Process

• Pseudoscience: The Blaze relied on a supposed “96% gait match” between the accused and the pipe bomber, using footage from the officer’s college soccer games for comparison.
• Lack of Due Diligence:
  • No apparent contact with the accused before naming her.
  • Did not seek meaningful comment from law enforcement (FBI or DOJ).
  • Ignored the officer’s alibi—she had video of herself playing with puppies at the time the bombs were planted (a “perfect alibi”, as CBS News reported).

Notable Quote:

"Normally, what you would do is, first of all, you wouldn’t go on whatever the hell gait analysis is, okay? … And obviously, you would go to the person you’re accusing of being a terrorist."
— Sam Stein [04:26]

• Escalation: Members of Congress and DOJ figures spread and lent legitimacy to the claim on social media.

3. The Fallout for The Blaze

• FBI Response: FBI even publicly mocked The Blaze’s reporter, Steve Baker (himself a January 6 defendant), on social media after the arrest.

• Blaze’s Actions:

  • Retracted the article only after the real suspect was arrested.
  • Initially left the article up, then deleted it entirely.

• Internal Chaos: Sam and Will imagine the editorial frenzy:

  “I would be in a meeting and I would be like, you know, I’d have to have a bottle of bourbon or something. I would just be like, what do we do? … They must have been flipping out.”
  — Sam Stein [08:16]

• Legal Fate: The wrongly accused officer’s attorney is signaling a big defamation lawsuit.

  "It was totally fake... the language suggested there’s a defamat lawsuit coming."
  — Will Sommer [09:42]

4. The Suspect: Brian Cole and the Right-Wing Conspiracy Narrative

• Arrested Suspect: Brian Cole, who reportedly believed in 2020 election conspiracy theories, is now cooperating with the FBI.

• Collapse of Conspiracy Theories:

  • For years, the right claimed the pipe bomb was a “false flag” to frame January 6 rioters.
  • Now, with a Trump-supporting conspiracist as the actual suspect, that theory is undermined.

  "...if this guy, Brian Cole is saying, in fact he was someone who believed that the election was stolen from Trump, that's just an incredible development."
  — Sam Stein [11:25]

• Press Conference: The FBI remained tight-lipped about Cole's motives at the press conference, fueling ongoing speculation.

• Caution Urged: Sam emphasizes not to jump to conclusions about motivations and to await more details.

5. Blaze’s Future and Legal Jeopardy

• Comparison to Fox News: Unlike Fox, The Blaze can’t easily afford a major settlement; even a multi-million dollar lawsuit could be fatal.
• Glenn Beck’s Distance: Glenn Beck, associated with The Blaze, is apparently moving on to other ventures.
• Editorial Survival: The Blaze’s remaining stars are mentioned, but its overall future looks grim.

6. Discussion: Could the Pipe Bomber Be Pardoned?

• Theory Floated: Will suggests the Trump pardon for January 6 rioters could potentially cover Brian Cole.

• Skepticism: Sam expresses doubt that any administration—or Justice Department—would allow that.

• Exchange on Fairness: Will half-jokes about the hypocrisy if “all the other January 6 crimes” are pardoned, but not the pipe bomber.

  "It is a little unfair to the pipe bomber... all the other crimes... were fine. But the pipe bombs that didn’t go off, this is the..."
  — Will Sommer [15:34]

• Betting on Legal Outcome: Their friendly banter leads to a mock wager on Polymarket.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------------------------|:-----------:| | Introduction & Background | 01:18–02:15 | | Blaze’s Faulty Reporting and ID Mistake | 02:15–05:50 | | The Officer’s Alibi and Intelligence Community Response | 05:18–06:21 | | Fallout, Deletion, & Internal Editorial Chaos | 06:21–09:11 | | Defamation Lawsuit Expected | 09:35–10:21 | | The Suspect (Brian Cole) and Collapse of “False Flag” Theories | 10:24–12:55 | | Broader Narrative & Right-Wing Media’s Challenge | 12:24–13:59 | | Lawsuit Impact & Glenn Beck’s Distance from Blaze | 13:37–14:10 | | Could the Pardon Apply to the Pipe Bomber? | 14:27–16:32 |

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Journalistic Standards:

  “Did they teach you that typically you shouldn’t write articles saying someone’s probably a terrorist if you don’t really have evidence of that?”
  — Will Sommer [02:58]

• On The Blaze's Editorial Debacle:

  “I would be in a meeting and I would be like, you know, I’d have to have a bottle of bourbon or something... They must have been flipping out. Flipping out. Crazy.”
  — Sam Stein [08:16]

• On the Collapse of a Major Conspiracy Theory:

  “If this guy, Brian Cole is saying, in fact he was someone who believed that the election was stolen from Trump, that’s just an incredible development.”
  — Sam Stein [11:25]

• On Pardoning the Pipe Bomber:

  "It is a little unfair to the pipe bomber... all the other crimes... were fine. But the pipe bombs that didn’t go off, this is the..."
  — Will Sommer [15:34]

Tone and Style

The hosts maintain a sharply critical, slightly sardonic tone, especially in their analysis of The Blaze’s journalistic failures and their bemusement at right-wing media’s conspiracy contortions. Their back-and-forth is informal and conversational, with gallows humor and references to major media lawsuits.

Conclusion & Next Steps

• The Blaze’s error is likely to go down as one of the most humiliating media faceplants of the post-January 6 era, with serious legal and reputational consequences looming.
• The arrest of Brian Cole doesn’t just exonerate the accused officer; it also dismantles a pillar of right-wing, “false flag” conspiracy theory about the Capitol riot.
• Will Sommer will continue to follow developments in both the lawsuit and right-wing media reactions in his “False Flag” newsletter.

For more breaking analysis, subscribe to The Bulwark and Will Sommer’s False Flag newsletter.